The network execs at Pop know WTF is up because they’re only one show away from being the new Soapnet. For those of you that don’t fondly remember, Soapnet was the OG of playing teen drama reruns and now that Pop has The OC in the mix, all they need is One Tree Hill before we’re back in the game. (Since I’m a walking TV Guide, the lineup is currently 90210, Dawson’s, The OC, and That 70’s Show—which is obviously replaceable, so let’s get OTH in there stat and make my daytime TV dreams come true.) Anyway, I got distracted salivating over old shitty teen soaps, which is exactly what this playlist is about. Now that I’ve relived the good years of The OC (seasons 1-2 and like the first four episodes of 3), I needed a soundtrack revival to give me all the Cali feels again. Listen to these jams when you want to know what it feels like to live in a model home near the ocean and still just have SO MUCH DRAMA, but also, Chrismakkuh. **You’ll notice that I refuse to include the song that Marissa dies to, because that’s just in poor taste. It’s over 10 years later and it’s still TOO soon to revisit perfect Ryan Atwood carrying Marissa’s lifeless body away from his brand new graduation gift vehicle.*
Paint the Silence- South. The first song that became an ode to Ryan & Marissa, even making a guest appearance in season 3 right before she kicks the bucket. When Ryan is hiding out in the model home, Marissa (who met him one day earlier, and has a BF) shows up and is all I made you a mix tape to think of me and this song was first. It also plays during their Ferris wheel mack sesh (sigh) and again like I said, in season 3 when Marissa is a moron banging Volchuck and needs to get a little sense in her head that her and Ryan are meant to be…until she dies in a fiery car wreck.
Title And Registration- Death Cab for Cutie. Since Seth was sarcastic and into comic books and emo AF, we came to know many bands that were staples on The OC. Death Cab is one of them, and since they’ve had many songs on throughout the years I picked this one because it reminds me of high school. And because one of my BFF’s in 9th grade had this as his MySpace song. Were we cool, OR WHAT?
If You Need The Morning- La Rocca. A little OC-OTH crossover band. Teen soap street cred for La Rocca. This one was a fun beach jam probably when there wasn’t dramz for like 3 whole minutes. Also I was watching the other day and lolerskated away when in one episode, Seth was like spring is finally here Ryan! As if California doesn’t have spring year round. Jokes on jokes.
Hide and Seek- Imogen Heap. Without fail this song will make me laugh out loud and it’s supposed to be super dramatic. But every single time, I think about how it played in the background as Kirsten drank herself silly at Cal’s funeral and how my friend and I used to dramatically reenact it in slow motion. Oh yeah, and when Marissa shot Trey of course too. Hide and Seek gets a bad rep in Orange County. Shootings & alcoholism, cause that’s what Imogen does.
The Way We Get By- Spoon. A fun little rock ditty about being a degenerate and crushing life, which can be compared to living on the beach without a care in the world and having rich parents, probably. Remembs when Ryan got Theresa preggers and she saw how much he missed the luxury life so she was like jk never mind and he went back? That has nothing to do with this song but still makes me wonder how it was ever a realistic TV plot.
Forever Young- Youth Group. Ryan and Marissa were dumb I guess and in season 3 declared they didn’t have a song. Um, if they had read this playlist they would know that Paint the Silence was their song, but whatever, so they played radio roulette and this beautiful song happened to be what they landed on. Yeah. Right. Anytime I play radio roulette I land on the Christian channel with a pastor giving a sermon. I call bullshit, but whatever, stay forever young (especially you, Marissa, RIP grl.)
Honey and the Moon- Joseph Arthur. UGH. This song and that INFAMOUS lookback. You know the one I’m talking about, when Sandy brings Ryan back to Chino because he’s 2 bad 2 tha bone, and Marissa stands on the curb and the sun is shining just so and he looks back and they have a moment. With that much sexual tension in one look it’s an actual mystery how it took those took 3 seasons to finally do the damn thing.
The View- Modest Mouse. Love these sassy rockers. This song doesn’t score a monumental OC moment; it’s just fun and very Seth Cohen-esque.
Insomnia- Electric President. Pretty sure Marissa broods to this song at the pier while she downs a flask as only the most popular, privileged girl in school can. To be fair, her dad was run out of town again after getting nearly beaten to death for stealing money, so I guess she deserves a strong one.
Fix You- Coldplay. Ah, back in the day I had the ripped right from TV version of this song (S/O to Limewire) and got to hear Seth stand up for his lady as Prom Queen and Ryan surprise Marissa last minute. The joys of high school prom and the biggest tearjerker song in the world. Also Julie tries to murder Caleb during this lovely high school moment in a Bam-Bam inspired bikini. Except he dies before she can get the chance. Nothing quite like hearing “lights will guide you home” mixed in with the sounds of Caleb having a heart attack and drowning in the pool. Well played.
Hallelujah- Jeff Buckley. Although it would’ve seemed the more obvious choice was Imogen Heap’s version (and death march) of this song, I’ve included her on this playlist twice and I decided to toss it back to the OG of Hallelujah. This plays as Seth maturely sails away from his life, I think. One time I threatened to run away because I was mad at my parents and they were like great, get out of here and see how well you do living on the streets at the ripe age of 11. Suffice to say, I stuck it out a few more years…by a few more years I mean that I’m almost 25 and they’ll quite literally never get rid of me. (insert evil laugh) So Seth running away because Ryan knocked a girl up was supes immature. Don’t let your friend’s sex life affect you that much, bro.
Speeding Cars- Imogen Heap. It felt wrong to include Hide & Seek and not show that Imogen can be uplifting sometimes too. This one’s a happy beat and plays over the gang’s graduation. Ryan’s boozehound mom is there after finally pulling her shit together just in time for her son to leave home, Marissa walks with the gang (I don’t even remember how this is possible) and as per TV high school graduation standards, only the 5 main characters are called to receive their diploma!
If You Leave-Nada Surf. Remember when they tried to make Anna a thing? You know, the female Seth competing with bombshell Summer for his heart? Well she finally gets the hint that her newsboy caps are no longer welcome in The OC and she packs her bags and moves back to wherever she came from. Good riddance.
Your Ex-Lover Is Dead- Stars. One of the more depressing jams from the show, the men are all sad pandas over their love lives, Seth is letting Summer go to Italy with Zach and probably bang one out, Ryan is with boring clarinet-playing Lindsey (his maybe half sister a thousand times removed) ya know, cause Marissa is a lez for five minutes, and Sandy is hanging with “dead” Rebecca. Get it together, boys.
Wonderwall- Ryan Adams. Seth and Summer are finally togets and they slow dance in his room probably with Captain Oats watching and it’s just downright adorbs. Meanwhile Marissa and Ryan are breaking up for the thousandth time or something.
Maybe I’m Amazed- Jem. In the season one finale, Ryan has properly gotten that piece of T-rash Theresa knocked up in a shady hotel room and decides to move in with her and work construction to raise the baby. Instead of, I don’t know, telling his baby mama to move into his spacious AND FREE pool house and take care of biz there. It’s super dumb but obviously not as dumb as how he casually gets let off the hook two episodes later. Either way, at Caleb and Julie’s wedding he has a goodbye slow dance with Marissa that brings a tear to my eye. She’s all, don’t go, pretend it’s not yours and he’s all, I HAVE TO. Deuces.
I’m Shakin’- Rooney. ROONEYYY!!! YAASSSS!!! The band that Oliver PERSONALLY knows and if so, does that mean he knows Mia Thermopolis, Queen of Genovia? Just wondering. Rooney performs live at the Bait Shop (cough cough Tric) and Oliver gets the gang backstage passes. Oliver’s a cr33p who makes me irrationally angry but Luke distracts me by being the dumbest jock to ever attend a concert, playing one of the guys’ guitars backstage and tone deaf shouting I’M SHAKIN over and over again. Having Luke’s dad be gay was the greatest thing that could ever happen to him. He was gone 2 soon from the show.
Champagne Supernova- Matt Pond PA. (If you didn’t have to pee when this song started, you will now.) It may seem that I’m shipping Ryan and Marissa and forgetting all about Seth and Summer…and that’s because I am. I mean, Marissa died. She deserves her love moments to shine. Seth and Summer were solid and destined to be forever. If Seth stayed with Summer during her hairy legs phase at college, you knew those two were going to go the distance. But either way, the greatest Seth and Summer scene ever is obv when she leaves Zach at the airport and surprises Seth for a rainstorm spidey kiss. I re-watched this episode so many times that I actually got the DVD stuck in my DVD player, so props for that. #KissGoals
Dice- Finley Quaye. Aforementioned cray cray Oliver didn’t stand a chance with Marissa on New Years Eve when Ryan rolls through at exactly midnight (after climbing a bazillion stairs, without so much as breathing heavily) for a kiss. No seriously, I walked up the stairs while on the phone the other day and my sister asked if I was having a heart attack. Anywho, as you might recall, these two were in a fight because Marissa told Ryan she loved him and he said thank you, cause he’s a boy and dumb. Wasn’t too dumb for the most romantic NYE kiss ever though. Cue the confetti.
California- Phantom Planet. Always toss the theme song into a TV playlist, and that’s obvious.
The Salty Ju 